motive remains a mystery

BOSTON — A passenger on a trans-Atlantic jet had "functional" explosives in the sneakers he tried to ignite, U.S. authorities said Sunday, as they sought to establish his identity and a possible motive.

The man was being held in Boston on federal charges of interfering with a flight crew, following the incident Saturday that resulted in the emergency landing of a Miami-bound American Airlines flight from Paris. Passengers and crew aboard Flight 63 subdued the man after he tried to ignite the tongue of his shoe, later found to be loaded with explosives and rigged with wires, authorities said.

Coming more than three months after the deadly Sept. 11 hijackings, the incident stirred new fears of terrorism as millions of people flocked to airports for holiday travel. U.S. and French aviation authorities on Sunday took steps aimed at guarding against a similar security breach.

U.S. authorities identified the suspect in court papers as Richard C. Reid, 28, based on a British passport issued three weeks ago in Brussels, which the suspect used to board the flight. French police, however, identified him as Tariq Raja, a 28-year-old Sri Lankan national, according to news reports.

A Justice Department spokesman in Washington could not confirm the Sri Lankan identity. A congressional source briefed by the FBI, however, said Reid's mother is British and his father Jamaican, which could indicate that the British passport was legitimate.

The suspect told investigators that he is a convert to Islam, but the FBI had not found any connection to a terrorist group, this congressional source said.

In charging Reid with intimidating or assaulting flight attendants, federal prosecutors in Boston outlined the flight's harrowing events and the findings of preliminary tests on the explosive material. He faces a maximum of 20 years in prison.

Reid, who is 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, first raised concern about 90 minutes into the trip when flight attendant Hermis Moutardier smelled burning matches and found Reid attempting to set fire to his sneaker, according to an affidavit by FBI special agent Margaret Cronin.

"She grabbed at the sneaker," Cronin wrote, "and Reid shoved her into the bulkhead. She made a second attempt to grab the shoe, and he pushed her to the floor. Ms. Moutardier then yelled for help and ran to get water."

Nearby passengers jumped up to help, eventually restraining the suspect with a collection of belts borrowed from throughout the cabin. The Boeing 767, carrying 185 passengers and 12 crew members, landed safely in Boston at 12:50 p.m. EST.

FBI tests later found "two functional improvised explosive devices" in the man's shoes, according to a news release from the U.S. attorney's office.

Court appearance Monday

Reid, who was scheduled to appear in federal court Monday, was being held under constant watch Sunday in a cell in Plymouth, said a spokesman for the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department.

Officials at the British Consulate in Boston have arranged to meet with Reid before the hearing, a consulate spokeswoman said.

Occurring amid one of the busiest travel periods in the year, the incident prompted the Federal Aviation Administration to issue a security directive Sunday. The FAA ordered airlines and airports to take undisclosed measures to guard against passengers boarding a plane with explosives hidden in their shoes.

Until Sept. 11, authorities had worried that terrorists might place bomb-laden bags on airplanes without boarding the plane themselves. But Saturday's incident underscored the threat of a potential suicide bomber smuggling explosives aboard on his person or in clothing.

French police, meanwhile, mounted a formal investigation to determine how Reid foiled increased security measures at Charles de Gaulle International Airport outside Paris.

One topic of the investigation will be reports that Reid was turned away from the same flight Friday after arousing suspicions, but was allowed to board a day later.

"For the moment, we do not know how this man got through," said a spokesman for the French Border Police, which shares responsibility for security at all airports in France with the Interior Ministry.

French police said Reid had tried to board the flight Friday but missed it because police pulled him aside for questioning. Police interrogated Reid because he was acting "a bit strangely," the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

Reid also attracted attention because he had a one-way ticket, his passport was new and he had no luggage other than one small carry-on bag. He said he was traveling to Antigua to visit family, police said.

After questioning, Reid was permitted to board the flight because his documents were in order, the Interior Ministry spokesman said.

President Bush, who is spending the weekend at Camp David, Md., is being kept informed about developments, including the FBI's investigation, a White House spokesman said.

"The president is monitoring the situation," Scott Stanzel said Sunday.